Russian President Vladimir Putin used the occasion of his much anticipated annual state of the nation address to directly warn NATO that sending Western troops to fight in Ukraine could result in nuclear war.
He explained that allegations from Western officials saying Russia intends to attack Europe are "nonsense"—after on Monday French President Emmanuel Macron really escalated the rhetoric by telling a security forum in Paris that sending Western troops to Ukraine "cannot be ruled out".
"Everything that they are coming up with now, with which they threaten the entire world – all this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore the destruction of civilization – don’t they understand this, or what?" Putin said.
"They must ultimately understand that we also have weapons – and they know about it, just as I now said – we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory," he warned.
On the battlefield, the Ukrainians have continued their retreat amid defeat in several villages and towns outside of Avdiivka. As we previously analyzed, it seems the more that evidence of Russia's 'winning' the war becomes obvious, the more desperate the actions and rhetoric out of NATO officials becomes.
Putin acknowledged that the Russian military is "confidently advancing in a number of operational areas and liberating more and more territories" and currently "firmly holds the initiative" in Ukraine.
He also warned over Sweden's recent approved accession into NATO, saying Russia is building up extra forces along its Western border to "neutralize the threats" of ongoing NATO expansion.
"The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions around the world while consistently propagating falsehoods. Now they have the audacity to say that Russia harbours intentions of attacking Europe. Can you believe it? We all know that their claims are utterly baseless," Putin said.
Putin suggested that years of Western aggression and foreign meddling and disastrous interventions have only served to unite "numerous" countries and a "multi-ethnic people:
The so-called West, with its colonial practices and penchant for inciting ethnic conflicts around the world, not only seeks to impede our progress but also envisions a Russia that is a dependent, declining, and dying space where they can do as they please. In fact, they want to replicate in Russia what they have done in numerous other countries, including Ukraine: sowing discord in our home and weakening us from within. But they were wrong, which has become abundantly clear now that they ran up against the firm resolve and determination of our multi-ethnic people.
This is very dark. Putin gets to nuclear threats vs. the west quickly.
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 29, 2024
"We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory [...] We remember what happened to those who sent their forces to our country. Now consequences for interventionists will be far more tragic." pic.twitter.com/oEFPBzZ7o1
According to more from the speech via state media on his comments pertaining to ramped-up NATO involvement in Ukraine:
At the same time, those same nations are “selecting targets to conduct strikes on our territory,” the Russian head of state claimed, adding that there is now talk of “deploying NATO military contingents to Ukraine.”
Putin reminded would-be aggressors that all previous attempts to conquer Russia have ended in failure, warning that “now the consequences for potential invaders would be far more tragic.” He pointed out that Russia has a massive nuclear arsenal, which is in a state of “complete readiness for guaranteed deployment.”
The past two months have seen the Kremlin specifically accuse France of sending its mercenaries to northern cities like Kharkiv, in order to conduct cross-border drone and mortar attacks on Russian territory. Russia's military says it has successfully targeted places where foreign fighters are staying, but Kiev has of course not confirmed this.
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More from Putin's speech: "Russia ready for dialogue"
"Russia is ready for dialogue with the United States on issues of strategic stability. However, it is important to clarify that in this case we are dealing with a state whose ruling circles are taking openly hostile actions towards us. So, they seriously intend to discuss strategic security issues with us while simultaneously trying to inflict strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield, as they themselves say...
...Indeed, just like any other ideology promoting racism, national superiority or exceptionalism, Russophobia is blinding and stupefying. The United States and its satellites have, in fact, dismantled the European security system which has created risks for everyone.
Clearly, a new equal and indivisible security framework must be created in Eurasia in the foreseeable future. We are ready for a substantive discussion on this subject with all countries and associations that may be interested in it. At the same time, I would like to reiterate (I think this is important for everyone) that no enduring international order is possible without a strong and sovereign Russia."
Putin's response allegations of 'nukes in space'
"Here is a good example of their hypocrisy. They have recently made unfounded allegations, in particular, against Russia, regarding plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. Such fake narratives, and this story is unequivocally false, are designed to involve us in negotiations on their conditions, which will only benefit the United States.
...At the same time, they have blocked our proposal which has been on the table for over 15 years. I am referring to the agreement on preventing the deployment of weapons in outer space, which we drafted back in 2008. There has been zero reaction to it. It is totally unclear what they are talking about."
With the horrifying death toll in Ukraine, it's past time for the West to push Kiev toward serious peace negotiations, and for a final end to this war, now having entered its third year.
